Mike McCarthy

Mike McCarthy

@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

University of California Santa Cruz Prof. Director of Community Studies. Author: The Master’s Tools (Verso) + Dismantling Solidarity (Cornell). Likes: economic democracy, critical social theory, 2x2 tables.

5.9K followers643 following842 posts

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

Out of hibernation to share a polemic I published today at Salvage titled “On Theoretical Degeneration.” It takes aim at the unusual suspects currently reconstructing right theory (Yarvin, Land, etc.) and some on the left and center as well. You can find the article online below.

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

Deactivating my account here next week to carve out more headspace to write for a bit. You can still find me at substk (theorydecay) and in sta (prof_mike_mccarthy) where I'll post words and pics, respectively. Cheers!

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

Perhaps weirdly, the technologists have been thinking about this — since the models are trained on as much Marx as anything else and a case can be made (admittedly by Marxists) that the case is more rational.

Hadas Weiss@hadas.bsky.social

what if the rogue ai agent instigates a communist revolution

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

Very cool to see the concept "class dynamism" being used by David Markus to interpret the photography of LaToya Ruby Frazier at the Smithsonian's journal, American Art. This is a very thoughtful critique of Walter Benn Michaels' interpretation of her work.

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

What a week. My book with @versobooks.bsky.social was a winner of The Theory Prize, which is awarded by the American Sociological Association's Theory Section every two years. Congratulations to the others recognized. Very pleased to win it alongside Zophia Edwards, whose book is a must read.

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

I’m deeply grateful to the award committee, to colleagues and comrades who engaged with the work along the way, and above all to the movements and organizations, past and present, whose struggles brought it to life. Many thanks to everyone that has given it a read over the last year.

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

Unfortunately, I will not be at the ASA meetings tto accept it. Instead, I will be respecting the @soc4pal.bsky.social boycott. The leadership has stifled democracy within the organization by suppressing member's voices on the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Democracy is power. We must rebuild it.

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

It's salvageable, but we shouldn't salvage it. A forum on the future of "liberal democracy." Thoughts from Wendy Brown, Carolin Amlinger, Axel Honneth, Veronica Gago, Isabell Lorey, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Naika Foroutan, Christoph Menke, Rahel Jaeggi, and me.

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

Today, I’m in a forum at the German newspaper Taz on the question, “is liberal democracy worth saving?” My answer is nein: Societies that allow ownership and control to concentrate never produce freedom and democracy.

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

Other participants include Wendy Brown, Axel Honneth, Veronica Gago, Dipesh Chakrabarty, and Rahel Jaeggi. It’s just in print now (70k copies!), but I’ll share the web link when available.

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

Need to hold their feet to labor’s fire

San Francisco Chronicle@sfchronicle.com

The California Service Employees International Union has pulled its support of Sen. Scott Wiener over his opposition to San Francisco’s Prop D, the “Overpaid CEO Act.”

bit.lySEIU pulls its endorsement of Scott Wiener, backs only Connie Chan in House raceThe California Service Employees International Union has pulled its support of Sen. Scott Wiener over his opposition to San Francisco’s Prop D, the “Overpaid CEO Act.”
Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

I had a great conversation with Daniel Tutt about ideology, power + domination, and class politics for his Emancipations podcast. We get into the really rich theoretical work of Göran Therborn and provide a bit of an introduction to his approach.

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

“Bottom Feeder Report”?

Post-Left Watch@postleftwatch.bsky.social

Matt Taibbi and Michael Tracey make unfunny ''jokes" about how their podcast is actually called "The P*dophile Report" or "Private P*do Party," and make another bad joke about how the backup name for their podcast is "L*lita Express."

Mike McCarthy reposted

Rick Harp
@rickharp.bsky.social

“Capitalist democracies are beset by elite-driven, popular divisions that result in a hyper-sensationalized political culture.” @itsmccarthy.bsky.social My current read! 📕 Reminded yet again how so much of what passes for polijournalism stokes this sensationalism.

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

Shocking to see an editorial board with a political axe to grind completely destroy the scientific credibility of a journal in the name of...science! Theory & Society further sinks itself into the bog of bitter sociology in this latest one, an argument for the need to end academic freedom.

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

For those that need extra content, the article argues makes the (sloppy and stupid) case that it is justified to fire professors for the because of the political implications and content of their work.

Mike McCarthy
@itsmccarthy.bsky.social

I think we need to come to terms with the fact that many people have been so deeply interpellated by Trumpism that they genuinely want blood. It’s not masking some other hidden motivation, that is the motivation.